Paleo-climatology

Course goals

To gain insights into the principles and mechanisms of past climate change and the effect of climate changes on marine and terrestrial ecosystems. 

Content

The course will introduce the student into the trends, oscillations and aberrations within the climate system over the past 100 million years. Special emphasis will be on the following topics:

• climate archives, data and climate modeling,
• geological time and dating techniques,
• astronomical forcing of ice ages and monsoons,
• plate tectonics, atmospheric CO2 and climate change,
• ordination techniques in paleoecology,
• extreme and abrupt climate changes during the Eocene greenhouse world

Course outline

• 12 lectures of 90 minutes each.
• 10 computer exercises given during 12 classes of 90 minutes each.
• Essay and student presentation
• Midterm exam (180 minutes)
• Final exam (180 minutes)
• Self-study